I’ve always been the type who didn’t want to sacrifice my happiness for something that I had to do. I didn’t understand why I couldn’t do it all. This attitude often landed me into a bit of trouble. For example, during undergrad, I participated in cheerleading and had an on-campus job. My mom urged me to quit cheer to work full time. Why should I have to give up one of the things that I looked forward to most in my day? So instead, I added another part time job on top of that. At one point in my senior year, I was juggling 3 part-time jobs and cheer on top of my full-time course load and social obligations. My priorities were all out of wack (relatively speaking) and I needed a better way to manage them.

Fast forward to the beginning of this year: young “adult” (ha!) Cierra with a full-time job considering graduate school. I thought hard about how I would incorporate graduate school courses into my life without sacrificing the other things that are important to me. I decided that I would come up with monthly bucket lists to ensure that I felt fulfilled in all aspects that I deemed as important in a balanced lifestyle.

The lists lived on my walls at work. I often encouraged input about what I should add to my next list. I did not realize, at the time, how much these monthly bucket lists would mean to me. I truly believe that they have opened me up to new adventures and added a true feel of balance to my life. Yes, I have many ambitions that I am working on, but why shouldn’t the journey be fun?

I encourage you to complete these challenges with me or create your own bucket lists! I’m always looking for new ideas so feel free to comment or email me activities that I should try! Yes, “adulting” can get tough, but I hope that my journey can inspire you to add a little balance to your life.

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Challenge Ideas:
1) no curse words for a month
2) compliment 3 people a day
3) find a random contest to enter online
4) volunteer once a month
5) find out about your ancestors!
6) ride your bike to work one day